He wasn’t asked to chuck the ball all over the field — 50 or 60 times.

No.

He did something else.

Something strange.

Stafford simply handed the ball off and watched his running backs take over the game. The Lions ran for 248 yards in a 32-21 victory over Miami — the most since 1997 when Barry Sanders was rushing for 2,000 yards.

“It was a lot of fun to watch them do their thing,” Stafford said. “I haven’t been part of too many of those. It was a whole lot of fun. I was happy.”

For years, people have been asking a simple question: What would Stafford do if the Lions had a running game?

And now we know. He has turned into an efficient machine.

He completed 18 of 22 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins.

Four incomplete passes. For an entire game.

And one of those was a drop by receiver Golden Tate.

It was Stafford’s third lowest number of attempts of his career. But he didn’t need to throw as much because the Lions running game was so dominant. Kerryon Johnson, the Lions brilliant rookie running back, ran for 158 yards, including a 71-yarder.

“We have a lot of different guys with a lot of different talents,” Stafford said. "(Offensive coordinator) Jim Bob (Cooter) is doing a great job of scheming them up and getting them in position to make plays.”

Johnson was the star of this game. He’s a special talent. He grew up in Alabama and is used to this kind of heat. He loves it.

But it all started with the Lions' offensive line.

“We kind of did it every which way," Stafford said. "We had some efficient runs. We had some massive runs. We had a second down (situations) and they got first down runs. They did all of it.”

Lions defensive back DeShawn Shead celebrates with Cre'von LeBlanc after a tackle during the first half of the Lions' 32-21 win on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Michael Reaves, Getty Images

Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills gives a football to a security woman he pushes to the ground after scoring a touchdown, during the first half on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Lynne Sladky, AP

Lions tight end Michael Roberts catches a pass in the endzone for a touchdown as Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker defends, during the first half on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Lynne Sladky, AP

Hall of Famer and former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino looks on prior to the game between the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Michael Reaves, Getty Images

Lions quarterbacks Matthew Stafford (left) and Matt Cassel both take the field prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Steve Mitchell USA TODAY Sports

This is not a perfect team by any imagination. But the Lions have momentum. They seem to add new wrinkles every week. They have talented running backs, gifted wide receivers, an emerging offensive line and even their tight ends can produce.

One minor quibble

Matthew Stafford throws a pass against the Dolphins during the first half.(Photo11: Steve Mitchell USA TODAY Sports)

All of that running does one thing for a quarterback: It sets up high-percentage, play-action passes.

Stafford connected on 12 of his first 13 passes — his lone incompletion in the first half was a ball batted down at the line of scrimmage.

On what would have been his 14th attempt, Stafford threw a beautiful TD pass to Kenny Golladay, which would have given the Lions a 23-7 lead. But it was brought back because of illegal use of hands by rookie left guard Frank Ragnow.

If there was one thing to be critical of the Lions on this day, it was their performance in the red zone, where they finished 3-for-6 — three touchdowns and three field goals.

“There are still things we can clean up, things we can get better at," Stafford said. "I didn’t think we finished in the red zone as well as we could have today.”

Oh, that heat

Lions players try to stay cool during the game Sunday.(Photo11: John McCall, TNS)

When the game started, the temperature was 89 degrees.

And it felt even hotter than that. But it didn’t seem to bother the Lions.

The Lions prepared for the heat by running laps before practice, trying to raise their body temperatures.

“It was hot," Stafford said. "That is true. We were able to overcome it. Everybody hydrated as much as they could. Get an IV if you need it. We’ve got guys from all over the place. We play from Detroit. But we’ve got guys from Florida, Texas, all over. They are used to it. They know what it’s about.”

The Dolphins designed their stadium to have shade on their sideline.

But the sun was beating down on the Lions.

So the Lions constructed their own shade. Workers held up awnings, creating shade over the bench.

Lol why do the lions have people holding shade for them. They don’t win enough to get treated like pharaohs pic.twitter.com/yT35Q5JPhn

“I felt a noticeable difference, as far as temperature wise, when you are underneath them,” Stafford said. “I think I’m going to get those guys some treats or something. That’s a tough job right there, that’s a shoulder workout from hell. I was happy they were there. I’m gonna have to get them something nice.”

Less is more

Since Stafford threw four interceptions in the season-opening implosion against the New York Jets, he has made noticeable improvement.

He has thrown 11 TDs with one interception in his past five games.

Stafford’s performance against Miami was all the more impressive considering the Dolphins entered the game with a league-high 11 interceptions.

“This is a really good team that plays really well at home,” Stafford said. “They had some guys back on defense that really gives them some juice, some energy.”

From a statistical point of view, Stafford’s season is an interesting study.

He threw 53 times against San Francisco, 36 against New England, 30 against Dallas, 26 against Green Bay and now 22 at Miami.

He finished with a 138.1 quarterback rating Sunday. He has had three games in his career with a higher rating.